Method and apparatus for winding thread



March 23, 1965 BLASCHKE 3,174,270

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR w mnmc THREAD Filed Jan. 21, 19s:

Jnvenfor: 62ml BZaschKe I M l 5. Sinker United States Patent 3,174,270E'ETHOD AND AIWARATUS FOR WlNDlNG THREAD Emil Blaschke, Endersbach,Schorndorferstrasse 20, Stuttgart, Germany Filed Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No.252,759 Uaims priority, application Germany, Jan. 25, 1962, B 65,649 9Claims. (Cl. 57-67) The present invention relates to a method and anapparatus for winding thread and especially synthetically producedthread of polymers, such as polyamides, polyester, and the like.

It is a fact well known in the art that threads which are made ofpolymers do not attain their final strength until they have beensubjected to a stretching process after being spun. In general, therequired stretch ratio lies between 1:4 and 1:5.

Since the spinning speed of synthetic threads amounts to 800 m. to 1200m. per minute and more depending upon the type of polymer and the yarnthickness, the final speeds which would result if the stretching processwere carried out directly after the spinning process would amount to4000 to 5000 m. per minute. It has, however, so far not been possible towind up threads at such high speeds since the high centrifugal forceswhich then act upon the bobbin at a peripheral speed of 80 to 90 in. persecond prevent the formation of a properly wound package. Furthermore,when employing the conventional bobbins which are driven by friction,the friction attainable between the friction drum and the bobbin wouldthen also no longer be suflicient to attain the high speeds of thebobbin as required.

Prior to this invention it was therefore necessary to carry out thespinning and stretching processes separately from each other, that is,to wind up the thread without being stretched and to carry out thestretching process thereafter by a separate operation at a low speed.

This necessity of carrying out these two functions by two separateoperations obviously involved a high cost of labor and machinery andbecause of the required rewinding it often also resulted in a product ofpoor quality and in considerable amounts of waste.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method whichpermits the two mentioned operations to be combined so that the threadsmay be stretched directly and also to be wound up perfectly at highfinal speeds and without requiring any interruption in the spinning andstretching processes. This object is attained according to the inventionby dividing the winding process into several components, that is, in thepresent case into two components, which taken together result in thefinal speed. The stresses to which the rotary elements are subjected arethen reduced to a fraction of those to which they would otherwise besubjected. The new method permits threads running at a high speed to bewound up at speeds which can still be easily controlled and which permita package of a proper formation to be built up. Under these conditions,there is no longer any need for carrying out the spinning and stretchingprocesses, separately and it is therefore now possible to carry out thestretching operation directly on the spinning machine.

The various features and advantages of the present in vention willbecome more clearly apparent from the following detailed descriptionthereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawingof an apparatus for carrying out the inventive method, in which- FIGURE1 shows a side view, partly in section, of this apparatus; while FIGURE2 shows a diagrammatic plan view thereof.

As illustrated in the drawings, the apparatus according to the inventiongenerally consists of a winding bobbin 1 on which the yarn package 2 isto be wound and which is driven by an electric motor 3, the speed ofwhich is variable. Although in the drawings the bobbin 1 is shown asbeing applied directly on the shaft of motor 3, it may, of course, alsobe driven indirectly, for example, by a pulley as conventional in atwisting machine.

Bobbin 1 is surrounded by a hoop-shaped element 4 which contains a thinguide channel 5 through which the thread is fed and which is preferablymade in the form of a bell so as to be better dynamically balanced. Thishoop or bell 4 is driven by an electric motor 8 through a pulley 6 and abelt 7 in the direction opposite to that in which the bobbin 1 isdriven.

The thread 9 which is fed to the apparatus at a predetermined high speedis injected by compressed air through a nozzle 10 into the threadchannel 5 and is then wound upon bobbin 1, for example, in the clockwisedirection, as indicated in FIGURE 2. If bobbin 1 were standing still,the winding speed per minute would amount to D-mnb, wherein D representsthe diameter of the bobbin and uh the speed of the hoop or bell 4. At acertain thread feeding speed V, the speed of bell 4 would then amount tonb=V:Dn-. If, on the other hand, bobbin 1 is driven by motor 3 in thecounterclockwise direction, while bell 4 is standing still, the amountof thread wound upon bob bin 1 merely by its own rotation would be Dmnsmeters per minute.

From this results that, if bobbin 1 and bell 4 rotate in oppositedirections to each other, the two winding speeds are added to each otherand the total winding speed then amounts to Dn-(nb-i-ns) so that the sumof the revolutions of the bobbin and bell elements multiplied by thecircumference of the bobbin is the winding speed of the bobbin. Iftherefore the speed of bobbin 1 and the speed of bell 4 are made equal,the rotary speed of the bobbin for producing the actual winding speedwill amount to one-half of the rotary speed at which the bobbin wouldhave to rotate to produce alone a high winding speed corresponding tothe feeding speed of the thread. The centrifugal forces acting on thecircumference of the thread package will be reduced to one fourth,inasmuch as the centrifugal forces increase with the square of thespeed.

Therefore, even at high feeding speeds of the thread, it is possible toattain rotary bobbin speeds which can be easily controlled and permitthe package to be properly formed while the attained winding speedcorresponds to the high speed at which the thread is supplied. Therotary speed of the bobbin is below the maximum speed determined by thecentrifugal force. That this is true may also be clearly seen from thefollowing example:

Assuming, for example, the thread feeding speed to amount to 5000 in.per minute, which at a stretch ratio of approximately 1 to 4.3 isequivalent to a spinning speed of approximately 1200 m. and assuming thediameter of bobbin 1 to be mm. the speed of the bobbin will amount toapproximately 7500 r.p.m., provided that the speed of bell 4 and that ofbobbin 1 are alike. These are speeds which can be easily controlled, asmay be seen by the fact that in twisting mills much higher spindlespeeds are frequently applied.

If the speed of the relatively light hoop or bell 4 is increased, forexample, to 10,000 or 12,000 r.p.m., the speed of the bobbin may bereduced to 5000 or 3000 r.p.m., respectively. It is therefore evidentthat heavy yarn packages with a weight of 10 to 12 kg. of yarn may beproduced without any difiiculty.

In order to build up a package 2 of the required formation, an elevatingdevice 1 1 is provided for reciprocating the spindle so that the threadwill be wound parallel and closely adjacent to each other upon thebobbin. For preventing the thread from slipping off as the packageincreases in thickness, the length of the reciprocating strokes of thespindle is gradually reduced. The package produced will thus have adouble-conical cop shape. Although in FIGURE 1, the elevating device 11is illustrated in the form of a hydraulic cylinder and piston, it may,of course, also consist of any other suitable reciprocating means.

As the result of the rotation of the hoop or hell 4, the thread 9 whilebeing fed therethrough is also twisted. Since the thread 9usuallyconsists of many fine capillary threads which when lying parallelto each other will easily split olf, this protective twist is of a verygreat advantage since it facilitates the unwinding of the thread fromthe bobbin during the subsequent processing. The extent or degree oftwisting the thread may be varied within certain limits by varying thespeed of the hoop or hell 4.

Since the peripheral speed of bobbin 1 increases as the package thereonincreases in thickness, which means that gradually the thread would bedrawn off at a greater speed than that at which it is being supplied, itis necessary gradually to reduce the speed of the bobbin so that thefeeding speed of the thread 9 will always remain the same. For thispurpose, a tension measuring roller 12 is provided which by means of anelectronic amplifier and governor 13 reduces the speed of the motor 3 inaccordance with the increasing thickness of the package.

The spinning of synthetic threads should always be carried out as acontinuous process which should not even be interrupted by a change ofbobbins. Apartfrom the fact that the operation of applying the thread athigh speeds is extremely difficult, an interruption of thespinning'process would cause considerable trouble because of theunstretched thread ends which would be caused if the machine had to bestopped and newly started. The waste in thread which would be caused bysuch interruptions would also be very great.

According to the invention, the apparatus is therefore provided with acompressed-air feeding nozzle which will continue to draw off the threadeven when the bobbins are being changed. The feeding nozzle 10 istherefore made of a pivotable construction. 7

Whenever a full bobbin-is to be exchanged for an empty bobbin, nozzle 10is pivoted so that the thread will be blown at full speed into andthrough a waste tube 14 and then be collected in a container. As soon asthe bobbins have been chan ed, nozzle 10 is pivoted backv to itsvertical position and the thread is blown through channel upon bobbin 1.stretching process on the machine itself is therefore not interrupted.

The advantages of this method over the conventional winding methods areclearly evident. By dividing the winding process into several phases,for example, two as in the present case, namely, by the bobbin 1 andthehoop or hell 4, it is possible to make the effective speed of thebobbin, i.e. the winding speed, so low as to insure that the packagewill always be properly formed and that the centrifugal forces will beof a size which will not harm the package. 7

Thus, for example, it is possible by increasing the speed of the hoop'orbell 4 to reduce the effective or winding speed of bobbin 1. This is ofadvantage since it is easier to rotate such a hoop or bell of a lightweight at a high speed that it is to rotate a heavy winding bobbin. Itis thus possible to produce very heavy bobbins without any difficulty.

Moreover, the rotation of the hoop or bell 4 results in a protectivetwisting of the thread and thus prevents the capillary threads fromsplitting off, and it also facilitates unwinding of the bobbin forfurther processing of the thread, i

By making the compressed-air feeding nozzle of a pivotable construction,the operation of originally threading the channel and of again threadingit after a The spinning and change of bobbins may be carried out almostautomatically while the machine continues running. Therefore, there isalso no need for any interruption in the continuous run of the threadeven while the bobbins are being changed. Consequently, the methodaccording to the invention allows the direct stretching of syntheticthreads Without interruption of the run of the thread.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with referenceto the preferred embodiment thereof, I wish to have it understood thatit is in no way limited to the details of such embodiment, but iscapable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for winding thread comprising a member forming a bobbin,driving means for rotating said bobbin in one direction at a rotaryspeed limited by the centrifugal force acting on the circumference ofsaid bobbin, a member forming a thread guide, means for feeding a threadat a predetermined high speed to and through said thread guide and uponsaid bobbin, and driving means for rotating said thread guide in theopposite direction around said bobbin at such a speed that the sum ofthe revolutions of said two members multiplied by the circumference ofsaid bobbin results in a winding speed of the thread on said bobbincorresponding to said predetermined high feeding speed.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a means forvarying the speed of at least one of said driving means.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising means forreciprocating said two members relative to each other in the axialdirection of said bobbin so as to wind the thread back and forth alongsaid bobbin.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said thread guide isshaped and rotatably mounted in a manner so as to twist the thread whilepassing through the revolving thread guide to said bobbin.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising control meansfor sensing said predetermined feeding speed of said thread and forelectronically regulating the speed of at least one of said members inaccordance with said feeding speed.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising control meansfor sensing the tension of the thread fed to sa-id'thread guide and forregulating the speed of at least one of said members in accordance withsaid tension.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said member forming saidthread guide is a bell-shaped guide member of a substantially U-shapedcross section partly surrounding said bobbin during the windingoperation, means for mounting said guide member so as to be rotatablecoaxially with and around said bobbin, said guide member containing athread guiding channel forming said thread guide and having an inletopening at one end of said bell-shaped guide member coaxially with saidbobbin and an outlet opening at the other end of said guide memberlaterally and spaced from said bobbin during the Winding operation.

8. A method'of winding a thread continuously supplied at a predeterminedhigh speed upon a first member having a maximum rotary speed limited bythe centrifugal force acting on thread wound around the circumference ofsaid first member so that said maximum rotary speed multiplied by thecircumference of said first member results in a winding speed less thansaid predetermined high speed, comprising the steps of feeding thethread at said predetermined high speed through a second member to saidfirst member; rotating said second member around said first member at afirst selected rotary speed in one direction of rotation; and rotatingsaid first member at a second selected rotary speed not exceeding saidmaximum speed in the opposite direction of rotation, said first andsecond rotary speeds being selected so that the sum of the 9. A methodof stretching and Winding a thread con tinuously supplied from aspinning device at a predetermined high speed upon a bobbin having amaximum rotary speed limited by the centrifugal force acting on threadwound around the circumference of said bobbin so that said maximumrotary speed multiplied by the circumference of said bobbin results in aWinding speed less than said predetermined high speed, comprising thesteps of feeding the thread at said predetermined high speed through athread guide to said bobbin; rotating said thread guide around saidbobbin at a first selected rotary speed in one direction of rotation;and rotating said bobbin at a second selected rotary speed not exceedingsaid maximum speed in the opposite direction of rotation, said first andsecond rotary speeds being selected so that the sum of the revolutionsof said thread guide and of said bobbin multiplied by the circumferenceof said bobbin corresponds to said predetermined high speed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,949,621 3/34Pool 5758.79 2,101,395 12/37 Kato 5798 2,160,010 5/39 Whittemore 57-672,511,638 6/50 Koella 57-58.79 2,940,244 6/ 60 Drtina 57--74 X FOREIGNPATENTS 492,203 9/38 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

1. AN APPARATUS FOR WINDING THREAD COMPRISING A MEMBER FORMING A BOBBIN,DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID BOBBIN IN ONE DIRECTION AT A ROTARYSPEEDLIMITED BY THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ACTING ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAIDBOBBIN, A MEMBER FORMING A THREAD GUIDE, MEANS FOR FEEDING A THREAD AT APREDETERMINED HIGH SPEED TO AND THROUGH SAID THREAD GUIDE AND UPON SAIDBOBBIN, AND DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID THREAD GUIDE IN THE OPPOSITEDIRECTION AROUND SAID BOBBIN AT SUCH A SPEED THAT THE SUM OF THEREVOLUTIONS OF SAID TWO MEMBERS MULTIPLIED BY THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAIDBOBBIN RESULTS IN A WINDING SPEED OF THE THREAD ON SAID BOBBINCORRESPONDING TO SAID PREDETERMINED HIGH FEEDING SPEED.